How to become a loan signing agent in Florida
Florida has no state exam. A new notary takes a three-hour course, buys a $7,500 bond through a bonding agency, and the agency files the application. For loan signings, the rule you will use most is in the property code: a deed needs two subscribing witnesses, and the notary can be one of them.
Sources checked September 28, 2026
Florida at a glance
- Commission term
- Four years. You may act as a notary only while physically in Florida.Fla. Stat. § 117.01
- Course
- At least three hours of interactive or classroom instruction, completed within one year before you apply. Renewals skip it.Fla. Stat. § 668.50(11)(b)
- Exam
- The Governor's official list of steps includes no state exam.Executive Office of the Governor — Notary Section
- Bond
- $7,500, in place before your first notarial act and for the whole term.Fla. Stat. § 117.01
- State fees
- $39, fixed by law. The bond premium and the seal are priced by the bonding agency.Executive Office of the Governor — Notary Section
- Fee per notarial act
- At most $10.Fla. Stat. § 117.05
- Journal
- Required only for online notarizations — an electronic journal kept at least ten years. Florida law sets no journal duty for in-person acts.Fla. Stat. § 117.245
- Remote notarization
- A separate registration with the Department of State ($10), a course, a $25,000 bond and at least $25,000 in errors and omissions insurance. You must be physically in Florida.Fla. Stat. § 117.225
Getting commissioned
- 1
Check that you qualify
You must be at least 18, a legal resident of Florida, and able to read, write and understand English. Permanent resident aliens qualify with a recorded Declaration of Domicile. The residence has to be kept for the whole term.
- 2
Take the three-hour course
Any provider registered with the Governor's office counts, and the Department of State's own course is free online. It must be finished within the year before you apply.
- 3
Contact an approved bonding agency
The state does not hand out the application. The bonding agency supplies it, pays the state fees, writes your bond and supplies your seal.
- 4
Complete the application
It includes an affidavit of good character from someone unrelated to you who has known you at least a year, and a statement on any felony conviction or revoked license. A felony requires your civil rights to have been restored.
Loan signings in Florida
Deeds need two witnesses — and you can be one
A deed or other conveyance of real property must be signed in the presence of two subscribing witnesses; leases are exempt. The notary may also serve as one of the two witnesses.
What the recorder checks
To be recorded, the instrument must show each witness's printed name and post office address, and your name printed, typed or stamped beneath your signature. A missing line sends the package back.
Two things every Florida certificate states
The venue — State of Florida, County of the place where you are — and whether the signer appeared by physical presence or by audio-video communication.
Who conducts Florida closings
Florida law lists licensed title insurers, title agents and agencies, and attorney agents among those who perform closing services, so closings are not reserved to attorneys. Preparing a deed or mortgage is still the practice of law: a signing agent presents the documents and notarizes, and does not draft or explain them.
If you advertise in another language
A notary who is not an attorney and advertises in a language other than English must include the notice that they are not an attorney licensed to practice law in Florida.
From commission to your first closing
The commission is what the state asks for. Title and escrow companies usually ask for more before they send a loan package: errors and omissions insurance, a background screening, and the equipment to print a full package and return scanned pages the same day. On Dr. Signing, a company can require a dual-tray printer or a scanner on an order, and only profiles that list them receive it — so list what you have.
Once you are commissioned
List your profile for free. Companies find you in the Florida directory, and the closings they post inside your travel radius come to you by email.
This page summarizes the law; it is not legal advice. The statute and the commissioning office decide, and they change — follow the source links before you rely on a number.